Elevator guard



(No Model.) 1 2'S'heefis-Sheet 1.

0. J. LATZ. ELEVATOR GUARD.

No. 489,844. Patented Nov. 4, 1890 m: wows PQFEIB 00., worm-map, msnmwou, u. c.

(No Model.) 0 V J LATZ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ELEVATOR GUARD.

No. 439,844. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. LATZ, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN WEHLE.

ELEVATOR-G UARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,844, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed September 24, 1889. Serial No. 324,965. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. LATZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator-Guards, of which the following is a description.

My improvement relates to elevator-guards; and it consists of a shifting-gear of peculiar construction, whereby the opening and closing movements of the gate are automatic with the movements of the elevator, but are produced by a power independent therefrom, as will be more fully described. It also consists in a new construction of the gate itself, as will be more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the well and an exterior View of the gate, showing the same in the closed position, parts being broken away to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one side of the well and car, showing the means for shifting the gearing. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the doorway of the well, showing thefolding gate or door in its extended position and closing the doorway. Fig. 4 is a similar View of one side, showing the gate opened and folded back. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a top plan View of a portion of the folding gate. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-section in line z z of Fig. 1. Figs. '7 and 8 are detail views.

A indicates the casing of the elevator-well, and a the ordinary doorway opening into the same.

B is the car, which is of ordinary construction. 7

O is the gate or door that guards the entrance to the elevator-well. This door is of peculiar construction. It consists of a series of narrow sections 6 b b, which are hinged to gether at c in such form that the gate can fold up in the zigzag form shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When so folded, as shown in Fig. 4, the sections lie close together face to face and occupy but little space and allow free entrance to the elevator-car. When extended, as shown in Fig. 3, they stretch across the passage and shut off entrance or exit. One end of the door ishinged permanently to the side of the well, while the other is free to move forward and back.

(1 d are hangers attached to the inner joints of the gate and provided with rollers d d, that run on a track 6 on the outside of the well.

The gearing for running the door is all located inside the door and between it and the casingof the well.

E is a vertical shaft which receives constant rotation in one direction only.

F F are two friction-gears attached to the shaft and rotating with it. These gears are held in a casting or frame G, attached to the face of the well on one side of the doorway.

H is a third bevel-gear standing vertically between the other two F F and of such size that when standing centrally it is out of engagement with both. Its shaft f is hollow and rests in a sliding box g, Figs. 1 and 6. The box is attached to the face of the casting G by means of bolts h h, that pass through slot-s '5 i of the box, thus allowing vertical movement to the box sufficient to bring the center gear H in engagement with either of the other gears. I is a screw-rod having free end movement, one end resting in the hollow shaft f of gear H and the other in one or more bearings jj at the free end of the gate.

J is a nut attached to the door and resting on the screw. By turning the screw in one direction or the other the door will be correspondingly opened or closed. The nut J has a flange J provided with slots k is, through which pass bolts k is, oris otherwise arranged to have slight movement independent of the gate to compensate for the opening and clos ing movement of the clutch, as will be presently described.

Z Z are two clutch-heads attached, respectively, to the ends of the center gear-shaft f and the screw I. When the clutch-heads are engaged, the screw receives rotation, and when separated the screw remains motionless and the gate remains still.- The screw is pressed up to engage the clutch-heads by means of a coiled or other spring at. (Shown at the right in Fig. 1.)

0, Fig. 1, is a clutch-lever having a forked upper end that embraces the spool of clutchhead Z, and by which means said clutch-head is thrown outof engagement with clutch-head Zwhen the motion of the screw is to be arrested. The lower end of lever 0 is cranked and is provided with a friction-rollero. The lever 0 is operated to disengage the clutch by means of a wedge-shaped cam 10, attached to one of the angles of the folding gate near its free end, by which means in the opening movement of the gate and at the end of its stroke the clutches are disengaged, and the gate then remains open.

K is a cord or chain attached to the top of sliding box 9, thence extending up over a pulley q, and thence extending down and being attached to one end of a bell-crank 1', pivoted centrally to the inner face of the well and between it and the elevator-car.

L is a depending arm attached to the bot- .tom of sliding box 9 and provided with a friction-roller s. In the closing movement of the gate and at the end of the stroke a wedgeshaped cam t, attached to the gate, strikes under arm L and raises it and elevates the center gear I-I half-way between the gears F F, as shown in Fig. 1. v

M is a curved spring forming a cam attached to the outside of the car and between it and the wall of the well and serving to operate the bell-crank r. The upper end of the cam is permanently pivoted at uto the car, while the lower end has a stud that slides up and down in a slot '12 of the car. In its normal position the cam M is curved, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the car passes up or down it strikes the lower end of bell-crank r and throws the same sufficiently to draw on cord K and raise the sliding box g. The cam has a central stud w, to which is attached a rod 7 extending down and connected with a handie P, by depressing which the spring-cam can be drawn back into a straight position, in which case it runs clear of the bell-crank r.

The operation is as follows: When the car goes up or down, the cam M strikes the bellcrank 0', draws on cord K, and raises the sliding box g. This brings the center gear Hup into engagementwith the uppergear F. The clutches Z Z being then in engagement, motion is imparted to screw I and the door is drawn open. At the extreme of the opening movement the cam 19 on the door strikes the lower end of clutch-lever 0, raises the same, and disengages the clutches Z Z, thus stopping the motion of the door. The door remains stationary as long as the car remains at the opening of the well. As soon as the car leaves and releases the bell-crank r the sliding box g drops of its own Weight and brings the center gear H in engagement with the lower gear F and closes the door again. At the end of the closing movement of the door the cam t on the door strikes under arm L and raises the sliding box 9 sufficiently to raise the gear H from engagement with the lower gear F and midway between the two gears F F, in

which position it remains till the car operates bell-crank 1" again. The nut J, through which the screw I passes, necessarily has a slight sliding movement to compensate for the movement of the clutches in engaging and disen gaging, as before described.

To enable the screw to run both ways to open and close the door, the clutches Z Z are made of the form shown in Fig. 1, having straight lugs that interlock and hold in both directions.

Having described my invention, I do not claim in this application any of the combinations shown in my pending application, Serial No. 317,133; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the cam on the car, a bell-crank on the side of the well, with which said cam comes in contact, a sliding box connected with the bell-crank by a cord, a center gear resting in the sliding box and movable up and down with it, two outside gears attached to a rotating shaft, with which said center gear engages, ascrew rod or shaft connected at one end with the center gear and at the other with a nut on the door, said center gear and screw-rod being provided with suitable engaging and disengaging clutches, as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the flexible folding door and the screw rod or shaft for operating the same, of a nut, through which the screw passes, attached to the door by a slide that allows it loose movement, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the folding door, of a nut attached to the door and having a sliding movement, a screw rod or shaft passing through the nut, a gear with which the screw rod or shaft engages by a clutch, a lever engaging with the clutch for disengaging the same, and a reacting spring on the outer end of the screw-shaft for engaging the clutch, as herein shown and described.

4. The combination, with the gears F F, attached to the vertical shaft and revolving with it, of the center gear H, resting between the exterior gears, a sliding box in which the center gear has its bearing, a cord attached at one end to said box, by which it is raised, and a bell-crank to which the other end of the cord is attached, as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. LATZ.

Witnesses:

R. F. Oscoon, P. A. COsTIOH. 

